Tried & True Parsley
Petroselinum crispum
Parsley often is taken for granted, yet its sprigs are essential for perking up a bland dish, adding colour to a special meal, or dressing a glass of tomato juice. It is a key ingredient in bouquet garni and in fine herbs. Whether it is curled or flat-leafed, parsley is one of the most widely used culinary herbs. Its green leaves are used to flavour soups, butters, savoury stews, and for garnishing. Parsley leaves make a delicious and nutritious addition to salads. Tear freshly picked leaves and sprinkle them into your mixed salad greens. Flat-leaf parsley has a stronger flavour than the curly-leaved variety.
Parsley is a fantastic mixer plant for containers. Its bushy growth and tightly curled leaves fill in quickly the spaces among the other plants in your containers. The bright green colour creates a good background for bright red, scarlet, or orange flowers.
Parsley is extremely beneficial to chives, carrots, corn, onions, and tomatoes because it attracts predatory insects. Parsley leaves sprinkled on asparagus plants help repel asparagus beetles and around roses to improve their fragrance. Parsley flowers attract hoverflies which aid in pollination and controls pest such as aphids. Do not plant parsley near mint.
| Harvesting | Harvest the leaves when the plants are about 6 inches (15cm) tall. Cut stems about 1 inch (2.5cm) above the crown so the plants can produce more leaves. |
|---|---|
| Storing | Wash leaves, blot dry, wrap in paper towel, and put parsley in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a few days. To freeze leaves, spread them on a baking sheet and put in the freezer; then transfer into freezer containers. Dry whole sprigs, crumble the leaves and store in airtight containers. |
Varieties Listing
Petroselinum crispum var. neapolitanum. Flat-leaf parsley – also known as Italian – has a stronger and more flavourful taste than the curly leaf variety. It has flat, glossy, serrated leaves and the flavour has a hint of pepper or licorice. Flat-leaf parsley is favoured by chefs because it contains significantly more of the essential oils…. Read more »
Petroselinum crispum var. Crispum. Curly parsley is generally used as a garnish, but it is becoming more indispensable in cooking. It is a major component of fine herbes (blend of fresh parsley, chives, chervil, and tarragon) and bouquet garni, a French term for a collection of mixed herbs (traditionally thyme, bay leaf, and parsley). Darki… Read more »
Back to Organic Edibles.